The first Saudi national football team lost its first international friendly match against Italy in St. Gallen, Switzerland, in the fifth round of its 2018 World Cup preparation program. Italy's Mario Balotelli and Andrea Belotti scored in the 21st and 69th minutes while Saudi Arabia's Yahya Al Shehri scored in the 72nd minute with a free kick. The match was attended by the President of the General Sports Authority, Chairman of the Saudi Olympic Committee Turki bin Abdulmohsen Al-Sheikh, FIFA President Gianni Infantino.